More than 80,000 people can claim a refund of deputyship fees

Those who paid fees to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) for a deputyship assessment or annual supervision between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2015 could be eligible for a refund.

Deputyship is when someone (called a ‘deputy’) is appointed by the Court of Protection to make decisions on behalf of someone else who lacks mental capacity – for example, because they have dementia, have suffered a stroke or have been involved in an accident.

When a deputy is appointed, the OPG charge an initial assessment fee (currently £100) following by annual supervision fees (currently £35 a year or £320 a year, depending on the value being managed). Unfortunately, many deputies were overcharged for these fees between 2008 and 2015 and can now pursue a refund.

How to claim

If you are a deputy acting under a current court order, you should receive any refund due automatically.

If you were formerly a deputy, but the person you were acting on behalf of has since regained capacity or has died, then you will need to apply for your refund.

You can apply online, by email or in writing. All the relevant details can be found by clicking here.

The deadline for applications is 4 October 2022.

Power of Attorney refunds

There is also a continuing scheme for refunds of overpayments in registration fees for Powers of Attorney.

If you applied to a register a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) or an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) with the Office of the Public Guardian between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017 then you could be due a partial refund of the application fee.

Find out more by clicking here.

The deadline for Power of Attorney refund applications is 1 February 2021.